Pronunciation of Sophia

[HahaHarrie]

Does anyone know the background to the different pronunications of Sophia?

The most widely used pronunication I've come across in the UK is So-FEE-A.

Then there is also SOF-ee-ya.

And then, (from watching the Tatler doco), Sophia Money-Coutts pronounces her name So-fire-A. A bit like Sapphire with an A at the end. Is that a classical Greek version?!

Any clues?

So-fy-a is the old royal/English way of pronouncing it; so that would explain the tatler way. The Greek So-fee-ah is more common today though.

So-FEE-yah = Italian and Turkish

Zo-FEE -yah = German

SO-fee-ya = Place name, capital of Bulgaria

So-FYE-ah = traditional British pronounciation (from 18th cent, anyway, when the name was first used over here)

Many people in Britain today say So- FEE-yah, as in Sophia Loren:
www.forvo.com/

For more info: www.behindthename.com/name/sophia

The only Sophias I know pronounce it So-FY-a - they are English and Irish.

I think it used to be pronounced So-FY-a in Britain, just like Maria used to sound like Mariah. But now they're more usually So-FEE-a and Ma-REE-a.

I pronounce it so-fee-ah, as does everybody I know.

This is despite the fact we have have a prominent sporting location where I live called Sophia Gardens...which everybody pronounces so-fy-ah.

Just asked my DS who is a Sophia. In her 35 years and in all her travels she's never heard it pronounced any way other than so-FEE-a.

Thanks everyone - interesting!

it is my middle name - s'FIRE-ah is how my family say it

My DD has the middle name Sophia and we pronounce it So-fee-ya.

However, my mother pronounces it Sof-eye-a, which gets right on my wick . I'm glad it's not her first name as I would have throttled her by now!

It makes sense that it's the old English pronouncation then as my mum is old .

I do like the Sof-eye-a pronunciation, it's just that that's not the one we chose! [awkward]

drwitch

Where does the r sound come from?

I know several, all pronounced s'fire like the tatler one. But in an English accent there's no r sound in fire, right?